Parenting etc

I've been writing this blog since 2008, documenting my parenting struggles and sharing what I've learnt along the way. In that time my kids have gone from being babies and preschoolers to school-kids, adolescents and teenagers. Every stage has its challenges and its joys.

I don't pretend to be any kind of parenting expert, just a struggling mother of three dynamite, quirky kids. What I learn, I share here as I go along. Any great ideas I discover that work, I share here also, like one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread...

on motherhood

Ten Cool Things About Motherhood
Confessions of a Lazy Mother
Confessions of a Lazy mother - Party Edition
Lazy Mother's Guide to Defeating Drudgery
My Ten Worst Mothering Moments (and what I learnt) 
Getting Over Myself 
The Truth about Supermum

This is my Life 

Not My Mother's Daughter ...

Mother-Love 
I'm the Mum Who... 
So I Yelled... 

Crinkly Squishy Cracked Warm  
Generations 
To Young Me from Old Me...
Sometimes... (a motherhood post)
Great Expectations (a motherhood post)
Mountains, Motherhood and me
"The Days are Long but the Years are Short"
Mums We Need to Stick Together (in this online world)

New Mother Tips {and a few War Stories}

Sleeping Through the Night

ideas to make life easier

Tidy Up Song
Manner Jar
Morning Rush
Road Trip Peace
Appreciation Training
Printable Reward Routine and Chore Charts
Weighted Blanket Tutorial (for sleep problems)

the learning curve

Stuff I'm Learning that's Changing Everything

Play (what I learnt  at The Incredible Years Course)

What a Difference a Play makes

I Don't Want to Miss a Thing
Wisdom from Hollywood
Ten Tips to Survive Travel with Kids

Ten Worst Mothering Moments (& what I learnt) 

Stuff You Learn at a Skate Park

Never Ever... 
How I Turned my Reluctant Readers into Book Lovers

The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Oil

The Upside of Imperfection
What Kids Learn from Having a Dog

growing up

Mister In BeTween
Gobsmacked: The Kids STEP UP
Letting out the Leash
Countdown to a New Era (last baby goes to school)
Baby gets Enrolled
On Falling...
When Being the Youngest gets Tough
Meanness, Vulnerability and Kids on Social Media
The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Oil (learning to speak up)
Detours, Road Blocks & Getting there Eventually
Cheer Up (why I love cheerleading in Spite of myself)
Baby turns Eight and Mum Ponders his Struggles
What Kids Learn from Having a Dog

teenage years

Help! I'm the Mother of a Teenager!
A Coming of Age Celebration (13th birthday)
Time Flies: First Day at High School & Intermediate
Parenting at the Pointy End
Flying a Kite is a Bit Like Parenting
How to Throw a Birthday Party for Your Teenager
A tribute to My Daughter on the Eve of her 13th Birthday

Starry Night 13th Birthday Party

After 17 Years as a Mum Here's What I've Learned...

quirky kids & personalities

Dyslexic Brains are Good Brains Too
Detours, Road Blocks & Getting there Eventually
The Upside of Imperfection
Turning my Reluctant Readers into Book Lovers
This is Normal, Apparently
The Perils of Thinking Straight
In Defence of Ritalin (and ADHD Kids)

Cool, Spunky or Spirited? Kids Personalities
Introverts and Extroverts

Personality test